Too Bruised to Stand, She Collapsed at the Ballroom—Until a Duke’s Gentle Hands Changed Her Fate
Chapter 6
Thomas Wren arrived in London six days later.
He was an old man with a crooked back and sharp eyes.
The moment he saw Eleanor, he removed his hat.
“Your father would have been proud of you.”
She nearly cried.
“What happened to the trust?”
Wren looked toward Julian.
“Your uncle forged the copy.”
“I knew it.”
“Not alone.”
Wren reached inside his coat.
He produced a folded letter.
“Lord Blackwood paid him.”
Eleanor read the words.
Her hands shook.
There were dates.
Amounts.
Instructions.
Her uncle had been paid to pressure her into marriage.
The bruises had been part of it.
Fear had been part of it.
Even the ballroom appearance had been planned.
“If I collapsed tonight,” Eleanor whispered, “they would have called me unstable.”
Wren nodded.
“Then your uncle would petition the court to control the estate permanently.”
Julian’s face became still.
Eleanor looked at him.
“They intended to make me disappear.”
“No,” Julian said.
His voice was quiet.
“They intended to make everyone believe you had disappeared willingly.”
A knock came at the door.
A servant entered.
“My lord, Lord Blackwood has arrived.”
Julian stood.
“Of course he has.”
Blackwood entered minutes later.
He was handsome in the polished way of a man accustomed to being admired.
His smile was perfect.
His eyes were not.
“Your Grace.”
“Blackwood.”
“I came to speak with Lady Vale.”
“No.”
Blackwood laughed.
“I believe that is her decision.”
Julian stepped aside.
“Then ask her.”
Blackwood turned toward Eleanor.
“Lady Vale, surely this childish rebellion has gone far enough.”
Eleanor’s voice trembled.
But she answered.
“No.”
Blackwood’s smile vanished.
“You understand what refusal means?”
“Yes.”
“You will lose your inheritance.”
“No.”
He glanced at Julian.
“You have been filling her head with nonsense.”
Eleanor stood.
“No one filled my head with anything.”
She held up the letter.
“My father left me his estate.”
Blackwood’s face changed.
Only for a heartbeat.
But Julian saw it.
So did Eleanor.
“You are afraid,” she whispered.
Blackwood recovered.
“You have no idea what you are saying.”
“I know exactly what I am saying.”
Julian moved beside her.
Blackwood looked between them.
“This is not finished.”
“No,” Julian said.
“It has only begun.”
